October 3, 2014

Chinatown v2.0: a review of Milo James Fowler's "Girl of Great Price"

Girl of Great Priceby Milo James Fowler40 pagespublished in 2014originally publishing in Girl Trouble anthology (2013)ASIN B00MT6H70EI remember reading a couple great reviews for the Malfeasance Occasional anthology, Girl Trouble, last year. But it slipped off the radar shortly thereafter and I didn't really give it a second thought. If the story are as good as this novelette from Milo James Fowler, I may have to put it back on my watch list, because this was right up my alley.

A world-weary private-eye, living a world now divided in two after a great near-future war has ravaged the planet, winds up on a case in search of a veterans abducted adopted-daughter. Working a case it hard enough, because the Russian mob pretty much runs most of the city. It doesn't help when the kingpin has some cybernetic goons doing his dirty work while keeping his own identity tightly guarded. And much like the private eyes of noir's yesteryear, Charlie Madison takes a lickin' while doling out his own brand of investigative brutality as well.

In quick fashion, the world is fleshed out, the stakes set and raised, and Charlie Madison regarded as a cynical hero in a world of villains. I dug it and would have no objections to a novel-length Madison mystery brought out down the line. As it stands, genre-blending fans should find a fun, fast read here that'll whet the appetite for more.

1 comment:

Thanks for the review, Gef. Lots of variety to be found in the Girl Trouble anthology. I'm outlining what might evolve into a novel-length Madison mystery. The next installment, Yakuza Territory will be out next month.